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Re: element school

Hi,

I this found sentence.

Why no a/an before elementary?

In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades, ranging from kindergarten (followed by first grade) for the youngest children in elementary school, up to twelfth grade, which is the final year of high school. The exact age range of students in these grade levels varies slightly from area to area.Education in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank yo u

Originally Posted by Ann1977

Which is correct?
She works at elementary school
She works in elementary school

Neither is correct.

- "She works in an elementary school" is correct.
You can also say
- "She works at an elementary school."

There's no real difference between "working IN a school" compared to "working AT a school."

- The sentence has to end with a period.
------------------------------------------------

If I use a plural subject, does school need to be in plural?

No, "school" doesn't need to be in the plural merely because the subject is plural. Using the singular has one meaning, and using the plural of "school" has a different meaning.

They work at elementary schoolThey work at an elementary school.
- This means that they both work at the same school (the same building.)

They work at elementary schools.
- This means that they work in different elementary schools.

They work in elementary schoolThey work in an elementary school.
- This means the same as "They work at an elementary school."

They work in elementary schools. <-- period at the end of sentences
- This is the same as "They work at elementary schools."

Re: element school

[QUOTE=teachmehelp;524746]Hi,

I this found sentence.

Why no a/an before elementary?

In almost all schools at these levels, children are divided by age groups into grades, ranging from kindergarten (followed by first grade) for the youngest children in elementary school, up to twelfth grade, which is the final year of high school. The exact age range of students in these grade levels varies slightly from area to area.Education in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this case, the expression refers to a state or condition, not a physical location.

To be in school is not the same as being in A school.

- The first use ("he's in elementary school") refers to his condition of life, his state or status in life. It is not the answer to "Where is he?" It is the answer to "How old is he?" or "What does he do in life?"

But to say, "He's studying in an elementary school not far from his home" makes the concept of "elementary school" into a physical building, a geographical place. It IS the answer to "Where is he?"

A similar use:

Lulu's back in town.
- This means that she's come back to the conceptual status of "in town."
Lulu is in a small town in the Midwest.
- This is how her geographical location is referred to.
"In town" is not the same as "in a town."

"He's been in jail for six years."
- This refers to his status as a prisoner. It's the answer to, "What has he been up to since we were in school together?"
"He's in a run-down jail in Abilene, Texas."
- This is the way to describe his physical location. It's the answer to "Where is he?"

If the study you cited had been conducted inside one building, the author would have said in various places, "The children in the elementary school were from the same neighborhood, but the children in the high school we studied came from all over Denver."

This is not the same as saying, "Children in elementary school are from the same neighborhood."
This is impossible! All the children who are in elementary school could never be housed in one neighborhood.

"Children in high school are from Denver" is logically impossible as well as false. Most children in high school are from places that are NOT Denver. But the children in THIS high school can be from Denver.